International Cat Speculators Since 2006

Posts tagged ‘Cindy Kiro’

“I think there really is a role for gang leaders to step up and say they won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour [i.e. child abuse] in their ranks, and for other members to challenge it when they see it.”

“I am calling for the creation of a plan for every child so that no one falls through the gaps. These plans would mean that educational, health and safety information would be shared and assessed in a consistent way. A key benefit of the integrated framework is that all professionals will be required in their assessments to take account of the child’s life in the context of the families and communities in which they live. A consistent finding of investigations of child homicides by my Office is the need for interagency cooperation and communication to ensure the safety of children and young people engaged with multiple agencies.”

On parents lightly flicking children’s ears and those who report them (the case was dismissed when the police presented no evidence of a crime)

Children’s Commissioner Cindy Kiro says she is pleased to see people in the community making a stand against violence towards children after a Christchurch man was reported for flicking his son’s ear.

However, physical punishment is a poor teaching method. At best it may result in immediate compliance. In the longer term, the evidence shows that the use of physical punishment increases the likelihood of disruptive and aggressive behaviour in children.

It teaches children that the use of violence is an acceptable way to solve problems or to resolve personal differences of opinion. And so the cycle continues.

However Commissioner Cindy Kiro says the things that need changing have nothing to do with the law changes, which she says were a step in the right direction. She says there is no need to re-litigate what was a very contentious piece of legislation, and people need to move on.

On statements made by her opponents in regard to the law change that 80% of the country opposed

Many people have been misled by the way the petition calling for a referendum to overturn the law on child discipline was sold to them, Children’s Commissioner Dr Cindy Kiro said today.

As all physical discipline is not legally abuse, it therefore cannot legally be classed as violence. Consequently, when Kiro says she wants to get rid of violence, she conflates that term with physical abuse, but fails to say why she refuses to define what she means by violence.

When I rang Kiro to discuss this with her she rudely stated she wasn’t going to comment, and hung up in my ear.

On Adults – (search the page for other references if you don’t believe me) – apparently former children are ignorant about childhood.

What’s the worst part of the job?

Dealing with the ignorance around children and young people, and adult resistance to listening to children and young people and changing their own behaviour to make things better.

One could be forgiven for thinking the good commissioner was somehow out of touch with something.

“People would be incredulous at some of the things that are devised as punishment for children. They are totally humiliating and degrading and I don’t know why people persist in this type of behaviour.”

And that was before physical punishment was banned. Does she expect that to improve? One wonders.

The letter was dated 24 August 2005 and signed “Dr Cindy Kiro, Children’s Commissioner.” It’s message was clear: I don’t know what you’ve done; please send me a copy of what your school gave to parents so that I can know what I have been publicly criticising you for. Dr Kiro had, in the media, promised me a reprimand, and here it was. Despite her sustained public criticism of me and my school, she didn’t know what she was reprimanding me for.

She told Radio New Zealand the school was “irresponsible” and “I don’t think
the school should be doing that.” The same criticism was reported in newspapers throughout New Zealand. On national television she described me as “seriously misguided”. All that despite not knowing what I had done. All that despite the law under which she works requiring her not to “make any comment that is adverse to a person if the Commissioner has not given the person an opportunity to be heard.” When I asked her about the illegality of her comments she would not reply. It was just one of many things she won’t include in the “discussion” she initiated.

About this Blog

This Blog is the long time home of a blogger known across the internet as ScrubOne (That's Scrub One not Scru Bone). Where this handle has not been available, he is known as ScrubOneHD (HD for Half Done).

Other bloggers have occasionally been contributors.

ScrubOne confesses to the Christian faith, and conservative politics but does not necessarily blog according to public perception of either.

You can email us tips, comments not intended for publication, offers of money for policy changes, volunteer to join in the fun etc: "scrubone" at google mail (gmail.com)